Chapter 240 – Afternoon and Evening

"So what are on those lists of yours?" Jack asked.

"So you want to wear your kilt and tartan vest." Elizabeth said. "So what do you want your groomsmen in?"

"Black kilt and a vest to match the girls." Jack said. "Just so you know we have the white/sliver vest that Katie had originally picked out for banquet. Nathan, Doug and Lee each have one and we can easily get Frank one."

"Okay, I will keep that in mind." Elizabeth said. "Who do you want to stand up with you?"

"I think it might be easier for you to decide first." Jack said. "I want at least Doug and Lee, but would also like Nathan and maybe Frank."

"I was thinking." Elizabeth said. "Maybe you have Doug, Lee and Nathan and then Frank can do the readings. I have already asked Caitlin and was going to ask Katie from security. She has helped me a lot. Then if Rosie comes around I was going to ask her otherwise I was thinking of asking Abigail. I would also like to include the twins and maybe Becky."

"Okay." Jack said. "We can finalize things as far as that a little closer. I was hoping that you would agree to have Cody as a ring bearer and maybe Opal as a flower girl. The twins could be altar servers for the Mass. So keep that in mind."

"I was thinking about both of them as well." Elizabeth said. "But I just realized that if I include Becky and/or Abigail then we need to include Peter somehow. I want Bill to walk me down the aisle."

"Let's set the wedding party aside for a bit." Jack said. "We will come back to it once we know a little better what is happening. As much as I would love it if Rosie came around, I don't want you to be disappointed if she doesn't. Peter can do the prayer petitions and maybe bring up the gifts during communion. It is a way to include him and he would be happy to do both of those things. I don't think he is actually expecting to be in the wedding party."

"I know." Elizabeth said. "But I have to hold out some hope that her father can get through to her. I didn't even think about the other people needed to help during Mass. So that is an option. Thank you. Again, I know that it is a long shot that Rosie will come around, but I have to believe that it could happen. At least for a bit longer."

"Okay." Jack said. "I just don't want you to get hurt again."

"I understand." Elizabeth said.

"So what else do you want to go over for the wedding?" Jack said.

"What kind of flowers do you want?" Elizabeth said. "I was thinking of some combination of lilies, daisies, or primroses with shamrocks."

"I think any of them would look good." Jack said. "I will leave it to you and Gran to figure out what is best or easiest to get."

"Okay." Elizabeth said. "Based on your tartan vest, the colors will be pale yellow and blue with silver accents."

"That sounds good to me." Jack said. "So were you thinking of a reception in the backyard?"

"I think so." Elizabeth said. "I was thinking that we could get a couple of tents. I think that would cover us if the weather is questionable. It would also protect us if people tried to spy from the air. I think Gran and/or Trish were looking into tents to be set up. Depending on how many people we invite, they were talking about one extra large, or maybe two large ones. The next question will be, do you want a sit down supper or do you want to do a buffet?"

"I would prefer a sit down meal." Jack said. "I think it is more formal for a wedding. Honestly, I don't care about the cost. I know that the account that Grandpa John set up and gave to Gran had a nice amount in it. So we will do it right."

"Okay." Elizabeth said. "I wasn't going to worry about the cost. Gran and Trish already told me not to even think about it, but to only focus on getting what I want."

"Good." Jack said. "So what time do you want the ceremony?"

"I was thinking of maybe a five o'clock wedding ceremony." Elizabeth said. "Especially since it is a Friday wedding. Then we can sit down to a late supper and then dancing."

"I like that idea." Jack said. "We will still need to figure out where we are going to spend our wedding night, but I will take care of the honeymoon."

"Okay." Elizabeth said.

Jack and Elizabeth continued to talk about various details while cuddling on the double chaise lounge. They had a good idea what they wanted, but there were things that they still needed to talk about and work out. It helped that they were being left alone to talk.

… … … …

It had been a busy afternoon. Nathan and Doug ended up taking Opal on a ride. They put her on Honey and had her ride between the two of them. She had been so thrilled and it kind of was a good riding lesson. She was much better than the boys would have figured. She said she had rode before when she was living with her aunt and uncle in the mountains. They took her on a few of the inside trails where they could ride at least two across.

Frank and Father Mark ended up having a very nice long and deep conversation about religion and world affairs. Lee sat in on the conversation, but didn't add much. He was just enjoying listening to the two men speak of different world views and of places they had traveled. Frank was actually a bit surprised at how extensively Father Mark had traveled, but then being related to Jack maybe he shouldn't have been. The biggest surprise was when Father Mark talked about the six months that he spent studying at the Vatican. Even Lee had never heard those stories.

… … … …

After they covered a lot of wedding details and then gave the lists to Trish and Gran to deal with, Jack and Elizabeth spent time doing two more lessons in their marriage prep book. After they had done the two lessons, they just cuddled on the double chaise lounge talking about various things and sharing a few sweet kisses. They just had a nice afternoon together, without pushing boundaries, even though Jack struggled with his body reacting to Elizabeth. He had to stop several times, but it seemed like Elizabeth understood or at least she didn't say anything when he got up and paced for a bit as they spoke. They knew that anyone could have walked out on them anytime, but at the same time they were getting to spend alone time together. Jack was aware that Trish, Gran and Father Mark had all come up to the music room to look out on them through the afternoon.

… … … …

The girls had done homework for an hour and then went out and spent two hours with their horses. They lunged them and brushed them out again. Then they sat in the paddock with them for a bit, just so that the horses would get used to being around them and handled by them. It seemed after the morning join up that the horses were much better with the girls and they didn't have any problems lunging them, but at the same time both horses and both girls in the same paddock was interesting. The girls sat several feet apart and the other horse then the one that they had been working with would come check out the other from time to time and it was exactly what Marco and Jack were hoping for. The horses were smart and knew that there were two girls, even if they were identical. Their smell was different. The goal was for the girls to ride either horses like they did Rocky and Rainbow. Jack wanted the girls to share the horses and take turns riding them, choosing either at the competition or that morning.

Overall it was a good afternoon on the ranch. The only one that didn't have the best afternoon was John and that was only because of the things that he was working through. He had filled in a lot of information for Bill the day before. So he spent most of Monday going over everything that Bill had left and all the names again. He did his two meetings that he had needed to do and handled a little bit of other business, but most of the day was spent toward gathering additional information which he did by talking to people under the guise of business and investing. He was learning that several people that he thought were good Christian people were suspected to be involved in this swingers club.

Peter had helped him by searching each name and learning whatever he could from wedding/birth announcements to articles about the person or their company/work. It seemed for every name they learned two more that might be connected. Peter had even reached out to several of his counterparts from other companies to see if he could learn anything that wasn't public record. A lot of times, it was the personal assistants that knew more about what their bosses were up to than most people. These personal assistants were used to trading information thinking they were helping their bosses, especially when someone close to John Thornton calls under the guise of looking into the company and wanting to know the real story. John had a reputation of being one of the most upstanding businessmen in the country and he was not known for doing business with people who were shady or could otherwise be called compromised.

The other thing that happened on Monday that affected the ranch was that Thomas and Charlotte had been back in town for Charlotte to formally stand before the judge. Chris and Andrew had attended the hearing to hear what was said and report back, even though they both knew that John would be in contact with the district attorney. Charlotte plead guilty to one count simple assault and one count attempted assault. She was given three years probation and fined six thousand dollars. The judge also warned her that she needed to control her temper better when he learned that the victim in the case was the defendant's barely adult son. The judge also accepted the additional stipulations that had been drafted by Devin and Andrew about interactions with the family and what was expected. Charlotte was also warned if she broke any of the conditions in her agreement, that she would be spending ninety days in jail and could face additional fines.

After paying the fine and associated court costs, Thomas and Charlotte left back to the city without speaking to anyone else or trying to stop at the ranch to see anyone. Thomas and Charlotte didn't even stop to talk to Chris or Andrew, even though they saw them. They had barely acknowledged the pair as they were waiting for the court hearing and then again afterwards as Chris and Andrew made sure they paid the fine and left the courthouse. They even followed Thomas and Charlotte out of town to make sure that they left back to the city since they had driven up since Thomas had yet to set up an account with the heliport/helicopter service. There had been several members of the press at the courthouse, but it seemed that Thomas and Charlotte had been able to avoid them. They were able to use the back entrance that was blocked off and only authorized people and cars were allowed. It was the courthouse staff's way of trying to protect the people coming and going from the courthouse since the press had been camped out there since the news of Jack and Elizabeth broke. The thinking was that they would be able to catch the pair going to the courthouse and possibly getting a marriage license and/or trying to sneak off and get married.

… … … …

After a simple supper of fresh brick oven pizzas, Maddie, Missy, Jack and Doug all took the time to do their ten minutes on the piano. They did that while the others were cleaning up and setting things up for a late night snack/tea before bed.

Trish and the grandparents enjoyed listening to the piano playing. After each of the four had done their ten minutes as Trish had insisted, Father Mark decided to play a bit for everyone. It had been awhile since he had played piano in front of anyone else, but he surprised himself that he wasn't too nervous. Father Mark played two pieces he knew from memory and then tried to play one of the pieces that Maddie was working on for her recital in September.

Once everything was cleaned up and ready for later, the older adults settled in the sitting room upstairs while Frank and the young adults settled downstairs. The girls settled in their room to play a few games on their tablets and read before bed. Elizabeth had also grabbed the book she was reading and settled next to Jack. The guys found a baseball game and decided to watch it. They were talking about baseball and other things along those lines. It was a nice chance for everyone to try and relax after what had turned out to be a fairly busy day.

At eight thirty, Trish called the girls and young adults upstairs if they wanted a snack before bed. Frank and Father Mark headed up to grab something while the others stayed downstairs. The guys were into the ball game that was getting intense and Elizabeth was comfortable where she was reading. The twins were almost ready for bed, so also had declined.

After the baseball game ended, Doug and Nathan decided to head to bed and Lee wasn't that far behind. Frank and Father Mark exchanged a glance and it was agreed that Father Mark would try to talk to Jack, so Frank got up and headed to bed.

"Jack." Father Mark said.

"Yes." Jack said, looking up from playing with the TV remote.

"I just wanted to check in with you." Father Mark said. "I know that you didn't sleep well last night and spent some time in the gym working out."

"I was frustrated." Jack said. "So I went for a run."

"Ten miles?" Father Mark said.

Jack let out a harsh breath.

"What do you want me to say?" Jack asked. "That I feel overwhelmed and that I just want everyone to leave me alone. That I am so angry at Ma and Dad that I don't care if I ever see them again. I want to punch Tommy every time I see him or someone mentions his name. That I hate Grandpa making me question if I am doing the right thing with Midnight's Run. What? What do you want me to say?"

"Yes." Father Mark said. "All of it. You need to talk to someone. If you don't talk to me, I will understand, but you need to talk about these things. I get being angry at your parents. I am also struggling with anger toward them after what they have done. The actions of your parents have long lasting effects on this entire family. They didn't just hurt you, they hurt everyone around them. Don't you think I see the pain in our grandparents eyes. I know that they are trying to hide it because they don't want us to worry about them, but I see it. I see it every time that Gran looks at Opal or Becky or even the twins. I see the pain in her eyes. It is going to take a long time to get over that pain if they ever get over it. I also fully understand that it has had a large impact on your life, but you can't forget that you aren't the only one struggling with what happened.

I understand your anger and frustration toward Tommy. You don't think that I had issues with my younger siblings. Do you know how many times me and Laura or me and Michael butted heads over things. Yes, they weren't as spoiled as Tommy, but we had our own problems. Even David and I butted heads about things, we still do. How do you think I felt when he decided to leave here and move to Montana because he wanted to get away from the rest of the family. Yes, he and our parents have since made up and they spend time out there with him, but in the beginning how do you think that made me feel.

You handled Midnight's Run very well this morning. Grandpa was just worried about you getting hurt after one rider has already been injured. You may own this ranch on paper, but as long as Grandpa has breath in his body, he is going to feel that he is responsible for what happens here. That is not going to change just because you are now the one that is ultimately signing the checks around here. Grandpa knows how unpredictable a young horse can be especially after it has been in an accident or on tranquilizers. He also knows that you are excellent with horses or he never would have agreed to let you ride. Just because he is worried for your safety, doesn't mean that he doesn't trust you. He worries when anyone gets on one of the race horses.

I have been here when they had professional jockeys running some yearlings. He was just as nervous for them as he was for you. He never wants to see anyone get hurt on a horse. He also knows that you don't have your jockey license yet, so if something were to happen it would be an insurance nightmare. So just cut him some slack. He is trying to look out for everyone."

"Father Mark is right." Elizabeth said. "No one wants to see you get hurt on a horse. I also understand that you are going to do what you need to help the horses, but it can be nerve racking watching you approach an agitated horse."

"Sorry." Jack said.

He leaned over and gave Elizabeth a quick kiss.

"I am not asking you to be sorry." Elizabeth said. "I am asking you to think about it if you were watching Maddie or Missy approach an agitated horse. How would you feel? Father Mark is just asking you to talk to us and not continue to bottle up your feelings. I would say about half the time that we get to spend together it feels like you are somewhere else because I can tell you are thinking about other things or have closed off walls so not to deal with things. We are going to be married, you need to figure out a way to let me in or this marriage is never going to work."

Both Father Mark and Elizabeth could feel Jack tensing up. Father Mark could also see the anger starting to rise in Jack's eyes.

"She is right." Father Mark said. "If I hear Elizabeth correctly, she isn't saying that she doesn't trust you, but that she just wants you to be open with her."

"Correct." Elizabeth said. "I love you and I trust you, but there are times it feels like you don't trust the rest of us. You need to be able to let other people in and let other people do things. Doug and Nathan were great with the girls today when they were working with Bubbles and Squeak. I know that you would have wanted to do that, but you have to let others help you – employees or not. How is it going to be when you are running both companies if you don't let people do things, especially people who were hired to do those jobs to make your life easier. I get that helping Maddie and Missy with their horses might not be in Nathan's job description, but both him and Doug were more than willing to help the girls because they could."

"I guess." Jack said. "I know I need to let people do their jobs, but it is hard. I feel like I need to step up and be more involved."

"No one is asking you to be more involved." Father Mark said. "I heard the press conference. Grandpa and John are expecting you to go to college and get a degree. They know that it will take years before you are ready to take over either company. What you need to do is what is right for you. I also know that they understand that this summer is not how you thought it would be. You have met a wonderful young lady and have fallen completely head over heels in love. So much so that your grandmother and best friend's mother are planning your wedding that will happen in less than six weeks. So they understand that you have your mind on other things.

Everyone also understands that you agreed to jump in shows this summer and that has brought up a whole host of other things. Then agreeing to put on a show is also a lot of work. The only thing that your grandparents are expecting of you this summer is to be here. But since you have decided to put on a show, they expect it to be a success. Also since you have decided to jump, they want you to be able to do your best. There is nothing else that anyone is expecting of you. You are putting too much pressure on yourself. No one will be upset if you don't jump after next weekend. No one would be upset if you realize that you need a few days and have to get away.

No one. I repeat no one is putting pressure on you to do anything other than jump this weekend since you committed to the show and to the show that we are hosting next weekend. As far as the older adults in this house, the only thing that they want from you is for you to be able to relax, unwind and be ready to focus on school come this fall. They all understand that there are things that you need to deal with because of things that have happened in the last year and especially in the last couple of months. So, I want you to take a deep breath and let it go. Stop thinking that you have to be perfect all the time. No one is asking that of you and it is putting too much pressure on yourself."

"I hear what you are saying." Jack said. "But how do I just stop? I have always felt that there was more that was expected of me since I was the oldest."

"Make a list of the things that you need and want to do in the next two months." Father Mark said. "I would suggest that the top two things on that are to focus on the wedding and to be ready for school. Whatever it may mean for those two things. You can add in other things, but I would caution you to assign a priority number to it. I had to do that when I was in college. And I mean really think about how important the things are when you assign a number. I used a scale of one to five. One were things that I absolutely had to do. They included school work and prayer time. Things like riding were given a five, because as important as they were to me, they didn't have a direct impact on my future. Do you see what I am getting at?"

"I think so." Jack said. "So if I made a list, do you think you could help me with the priority listings?"

"I can absolutely do that." Father Mark said. "See how easy it is to ask for help. Sometimes, you have to break things down into smaller things. I sometimes had to break down classwork into a list of when it was due and how important the class was to my future. So even if an art history paper was due before say a theology paper, the theology paper was more important and needed more of my time to make sure I not only got a good grade, but that I understood the material in the paper."

"Thank you." Jack said. "I will work on that list and I will try to be more open about things. I know that I have been friends with Doug and Lee for years and we would talk about things, it is different as a lot of what I am dealing with they didn't go through with me, so we don't talk about it the same way.

Elizabeth, I am also very sorry that you feel that I have shut you out. You know that I love you more than life itself. I just don't always know how to express that. I have never been one that was good at flowy, flowery words. My brain tells me that I can show you that I love you by kissing you and holding you, but then I have difficulty with my body reacting. I am sorry if I have pushed you or made you feel uncomfortable. I would never push you faster than you are ready for or want, married or not. I just don't always know how to tell you what I am feeling so then I start to shut down and get into my own head. I promise I will try to be better about it."

"That is all I am asking." Elizabeth said. "I will admit we have both pushed the boundaries, but we both are committed to waiting, no matter how difficult we have made it for ourselves. I respect that you are willing to wait and not push. I have watched way too many guys just keep pushing over the years and then the girl ends up hating him and herself."

Elizabeth sat up and then put her book aside. She then turned and faced Jack.